• Latest
African Queen (1951)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

May 4, 2021

RAD Denounces Threats to Organizing for Safe and Inclusive Schools

January 24, 2023
African Queen (1951)

The Heiress

January 24, 2023

Meet Your Chamber

January 24, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

The Purpose of Pendulums

January 24, 2023
Capital City Concerts offers a Free Family Concert on Saturday, January 28 in Montpelier

Capital City Concerts offers a Free Family Concert on Saturday, January 28 in Montpelier

January 17, 2023

VSAC’s College & Career Pathways Events Offer Workshops on Campuses Across Vermont

January 17, 2023

National Endowment for the Arts Announces Grants to Support the Arts in Vermont

January 17, 2023
African Queen (1951)

Scarlet Street (1945)

January 17, 2023
Washington County Sheriff Sam Hill to Retire After 38 1/2 Years of Law Enforcement

Washington County Sheriff Sam Hill to Retire After 38 1/2 Years of Law Enforcement

January 17, 2023

Settlement with Google Over Location Tracking Practices

January 11, 2023
Vermont Historical Society Receives $210,000 From Sanders In Omnibus Spending Package for the Vermont History Center

Vermont Historical Society Receives $210,000 From Sanders In Omnibus Spending Package for the Vermont History Center

January 11, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

She Smiled at Me

January 11, 2023
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Monday, January 30, 2023
The World Online
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

4 Stars

vt-world by vt-world
May 4, 2021
in Max's View
0
African Queen (1951)

Most everyone agrees that great paintings and sculptures and cathedrals are fine art.

Some people don’t think that great cinema is fine art, however. And that’s sad because it means that they haven’t seen “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Like a Baroque painter, Stanley Kubrick was a master of the visual arts. “2001” is a masterpiece that is visually stunning but elegantly simple.

In Act 1, a tribe of ape men come across a black rectangular monolith outside their cave. They recognize that it was put there by superior beings and it inspires the tribe to use bones as tools to kill their enemies.

Act 2: a couple of million years later, scientists find an identical monolith buried on the moon. They recognize that it is proof of extra-terrestrial life.

In Act 3, a spaceship travels to Jupiter to rendezvous with the aliens. Along the way, the ship’s computer decides that humans can’t be trusted with the mission and begins to kill them all.

Stanley Kubrick observes that humans are better at using our intelligence to kill than to communicate. This is essentially the same message as “Dr. Strangelove.”

What’s different about “2001” is the visual imagination. More than 50 years on, these are still the most amazing-looking special effects in cinema history.

The spaceships are a sight to behold. Much of the second act consists of long, slow-motion scenes of astronauts experiencing weightlessness with German classical music playing on the soundtrack. Some viewers will find it dull and pretentious. I find it beautiful.

The ape men scenes are nearly as impressive. These days, the ape men would just be computer effects. Kubrick used human actors wearing realistic ape suits. These actors are able to convey emotional complexity that a CGI cartoon never will; the ape men are simultaneously sophisticated humans and savage animals.

The scene where an ape man looks up at the alien monolith and sees the sun and sliver of the moon is a splendid painting all by itself. Without a word of dialogue, Kubrick shows us that the ape man suddenly understands that there are creatures or gods up there that are greater than he can possibly comprehend.

And that brings me to the monolith: possibly Stanley Kubrick’s most brilliant creation.

In a movie about aliens, the filmmaker has to show us the aliens, right? Kubrick decided that a physical representation of the alien culture’s intelligence would be more thought-provoking than a skinny dwarf wearing a grey costume.

Again, this was before computer effects, so Kubrick had to make the monolith himself. Using smooth black metal, the director elegantly demonstrates that these Extra Terrestrials have a culture that is clearly superior to ours but also impossible for us to comprehend.

For the record, I am not recommending that you watch this film tonight. I think it is fantastically enjoyable; you might find it boring and inscrutable.

My point is that “2001: A Space Odyssey” proves once and for all that cinema can be fine art. It is a masterpiece on the same level as Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” Rodin’s “The Thinker” or Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

Previous Post

Mayor’s Report – April 2021

Next Post

Double Your Donation of Any Amount to CHCV Through May 18th!

Next Post
Double Your Donation of Any Amount to CHCV Through May 18th!

Double Your Donation of Any Amount to CHCV Through May 18th!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In